Twins’ Byron Buxton starts rehab assignment; Emmanuel Rodriguez promoted to St. Paul

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. – An important three-game road series in Kansas City looms later this week, and the Twins could welcome a key member of their roster back into the lineup.

Byron Buxton started a rehab assignment with the Class AAA St. Paul Saints on Monday. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout while playing seven innings in center field during the Saints’ 11-8 loss to the Iowa Cubs at CHS Field.

The Saints are off Tuesday, and it’s likely Buxton will play another rehab game Wednesday before potentially rejoining the Twins. Buxton has been on the 10-day injured list since Aug. 15 because of right hip inflammation.

“We’re really getting there with Buck,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s been waiting to get back out there. This is good. It’s the first step, but it’s an important step. Hopefully, everything goes well and we can see him back out there with us before you know it.”

If Buxton returns for the Royals series, after the Twins play four games against the Tampa Bay Rays, it would a nice jolt for a series that carries playoff implications. The Twins and Royals entered Monday tied in the standings.

Buxton is batting .275 with 16 homers, 23 doubles, 49 RBI and 54 runs in 90 games with the Twins this season. He showed more power after the All-Star break, homering in seven of his first 18 games.

Royce Lewis played three innings at second base Sunday, the first time he has played the position in his major league career, after the Twins used a pinch-hitter for Edouard Julien.

Lewis has taken some ground balls at second base during batting practice, but he doesn’t like the idea of playing an unfamiliar position during a playoff race.

“I’m terrified out there,” Lewis said, adding he didn’t want to make a mistake on covering a bunt or lining up for a relay. “Little things like that are just adding extra elements to a September push that’s important to me. I don’t know. We have plenty of really good second basemen, and I don’t want to mess up our defense just because we’re going to try something new. It’s not spring training or Triple-A for that.”

The toughest adjustment, Lewis said, is everything looks different on the other side of the infield. He would feel more comfortable playing shortstop, a position he played throughout his minor league career, but it takes time to learn how to read the ball off the bat and turn double plays from the opposite side.

“The moment you have to think in this game is when the game speeds up on you,” he said. “That’s where I’m worried I’m not ready yet.”

Lewis had three balls hit in his direction Sunday, fielding each of them cleanly.

“I think we proved I’m an athlete,” Lewis said. “Now, let’s just keep playing normal baseball, play third and win baseball games.

Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez played only 37 games at Class AA Wichita because of right hand injuries this season, but he will end his season with the Saints.

Rodriguez, a 21-year-old center fielder, was promoted to St. Paul on Monday after rehabbing in Fort Myers. The lefthanded batter hit .298 in Class AA with eight homers, 12 doubles, 20 RBI and 40 runs. He drew nearly as many walks (42) as he had strikeouts (46), producing a .479 on-base percentage.

Baseball America ranks Rodriguez as the No. 2 prospect in the club’s farm system behind 2023 first-round pick Walker Jenkins.

* Max Kepler was scratched from the Twins lineup Monday with left knee soreness, the same injury that sidelined him for a few games last week.

* Manuel Margot, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, was diagnosed with a mild adductor tendon strain after he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam. It’s not an adductor muscle strain, which could have jeopardized the rest of his season, but he is shut down from baseball activities for at least the next five days.

Margot traveled with the Twins and received applause from Rays fans when a “Thank You Manny” tribute was played on the video board. After Margot waved to the crowd, Carlos Santana tried to push Margot out of the dugout to lengthen the ovation.